The Best Bag for Disney World and What To Pack In It!

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I totally over-packed my Disney Park bag for my first Disney World Trip. For the second one, I swung in the opposite direction and found myself spending way too much in the parks for snacks and even…toddler underwear (more about that later!). So, how do you know you have everything you need to enjoy a day at your favorite Walt Disney World Park? Preparation goes a long way. Key to my preparation is making sure my Disney bag has everything in it to give me the best chance of handling those little emergencies in the park that can derail your fun!

Best Bag to Carry At Walt Disney World

We carry two types of bags in the parks when traveling with young kids. One personal bag for your phone, sunglasses, and wallet. Another for your supplies.

Personal Bag

I have a Disney vacation pocketbook. Yes, my kids know when it comes out, it is time for a trip! I actually ruined a surprise trip by donning my Dooney Disney bag. The kids called me out as soon as I got in the car….”Are we going to Disney World?!?!” Mom Fail…but the bag is a total win!

Love my Dooney and Bourke Crossbody Disney Bag for the parks!

There are two styles of bags I recommend for the best Disney park bag : Crossbody or Fanny Pack/Waist bag. The reason I pick these is that you don’t want to have to constantly readjust your bag with either. You also want to be hands-free as much as possible. When you go on rides, you will take your bag with you and both of these options keep it firmly secure no matter how fast you might be going!

Keep It Small

Keeping the bag small makes you selective about what you are carrying. As much as you want to be prepared, you don’t want to be lugging 50 pounds around! It’s a lot of walking so you don’t want to wear out to quickly.

Fun Designs

It’s Disney World! You are going to be wearing Mickey ears so your bag should be fun too. There are tons of brands that carry Disney patterns, and I don’t go a single trip without getting compliments on some of my older patterns. Brands that carry fun patterns are Dooney and Bourke, Vera Bradley, Loungefly, and Danielle Nicole.

What’s Inside

As important as the bag is what you put inside! For me, I travel light with my personal bag and include:

Phone

Sunglasses

Wallet – This is even optional if you have your magic band. You can use it to pay for everything. For more info, check out the Guide to Disney’s MagicBand.

Hairband – Especially if it starts raining, you are going to want to be able to pull your

Recommendation for the Perfect Bag for Disney World : Personal

Crossbody

Crossbody!! A crossbody bag is one of your best options for your personal bag . It gives me quick access to everything I need, is secure, and requires minimal effort to carry. My husband bought me my “Disney bag” on our first trip. At first, I thought it was a little extravagant of a purchase, but I have now had this bag for 7 years and it is perfect for a Disney trip. It’s by far my vote for best mom bag for Disney World.

I am slightly obsessed with the Dooney and Bourke Disney purses. They are on the pricey side, but I’ve had my Dooney Nylon Crossbody Disney World bag for over 7 years, and it looks like the very first day we bought it. Dooney and Bourke are my best crossbody bag for Disney World by far. They don’t currently sell it in the same color as mine, but you can get one in white still. With new patterns almost all the time, it’s easy to find one that sorts you!

You can find the latest and greatest Dooney and Bourke styles on the Disney Parks App or at shopdisney. If you are an annual pass holder, you can also take advantage of your 20% discount by purchasing on the app. You can click on the picture to check it out in more detail!

You can also find some on Amazon Dooney and Bourke Disney crossbody bags, although the selection is not as wide. These should satisfy your search for the best crossbody bags for Disney World!

Fanny Pack/Waist Bag

I have made an exception to my crossbody bag for Disney World and still been very successful in my Disney World bag game. The key was an awesome waist bag / fanny pack. I have personally carried this bag through every park at Walt Disney World, holding sunscreen, credit cards, my phone, and snacks. I’ve also used it on other trips, like our visit to Chichen Itzá. If you are looking or a fanny pack, this is the one.

It has super high quality materials, including a seatbelt quality belt for security. The fabric is water resistant and protects against those sweaty park days. The zippers are also metal which leads to a very high quality bag. The fun polka dot reminds me of Minnie Mouse. Rock the dots!

Supply and Family Bag

Best Backpacks for Disney World

What you can’t fit in your personal bag, you can find space for in a Disney backpack. You will want your hands free, and a backpack is a great way to accomplish that. Simplicity is key in finding the best backpack for Disney World. I have found that you don’t need a lot of pockets or compartments. If you do want extra organization, ziplocks work wonders, and I have even used small packing cubes.

Recommendation for the Perfect Bag for Disney World : Supplies

Vans and Jansport both carry traditional, Disney-themed bags. My current bag is a Toy Story Themed Vans Old Skool, but my son rocks a Star Wars Loungefly. Both are a nice size and very simple, making them candidates for a perfect backpack for Disney World. If you don’t find the particular pattern you like, Loungefly is also a solid choice.

Toy Story Vans Old Skool Backpack

If Star Wars is your jam, try this one from Loungefly!

Amazon carries many of the options for best backpacks for Disney World :

What and How to Pack Your Disney Park Bag

Still have a stroller?

If you are still in stroller zone, I’d recommend hooking the backpack up to the stroller with a giant carabiner clip. We use one of these giant clips to hold everything from our backpack to our water bottle and Disney purchases. You just have to be careful to not overload it. I’ve tipped the stroller over a time or two after the kids get out and all the weight is hanging on the back with the carabiner!

Our giant carabiner makes our life SO much easier!

Bring Snacks

I want to say this one is optional if you aren’t traveling with kids, but I would be fibbing! Even my husband breaks into the snacks on our trips. We learned the importance of snacks on our second Walt Disney World trip. Our son, 2.5 years old at that time, was becoming extremely cranky! As soon as we got him something to eat, it was all better. We spent way too much in the parks on snacks that year! Since then, we make sure we are stocked up. Our favorites for our family of 4 are:

There are a couple of ways you can get the snacks down to Walt Disney World. We have used an extra suitcase to just pack snacks. We have also used Amazon Pantry to deliver to our hotel. You have to pick it up at the designate location, but it beats having to haul it with you! We had a box of juice boxes punctured by airport security one time, so I’d rather have Amazon deliver now!

Water Bottle

You can refill this at any quick service restaurant for free. Just ask for a cup of water and fill ‘er up. We love the 1L Nalgene, but any water bottle will do. During the super heat of summer at Walt Disney World, it’s also nice to have a bottle of water to just put on your neck to help cool you down.

Keep those Electronics Charged!

You are going to be capturing moments left and right and need your electronics fully charged. I’m a huge fan of the My Disney Experience App and use it almost all the time in the park to check wait times, schedule new FastPass+ selections, and finding dining. Since it has a location aspect to it, the app can be hard on your battery. For that reason, we always carry an external battery pack. Our favorite is the Anker PowerCore 13000 and it can charge an iPhone up to 5 times fully before it needs to be recharged. Plug it in when you get back to your hotel for the night, and you are ready for another 5 charges the next day. I have personally used this one for almost of all of our Disney trips without incident.

The FuelRod is another option that has charging stations throughout the parks. These last for approximately 8 hours of regular cell phone usage and allow you to “trade it in” at several locations throughout the parks. I don’t personally recommend them since they can’t charge multiple devices at the same time and don’t last as long. They do have a convenience factor in the park, but that convenience is needed due to the lower quality product. It may cost a little more, but an Anker batter par is going to pay for itself in the long run. For more information check out Portable Phone Chargers.

Prepare for the Weather

There ear two things I prepare for with our Walt Disney Park Bag : Rain and Sun.

Rain

It rains in Florida….a lot….year round. Preparing by taking either rain coats or cheap plastic ponchos can save you a ton in the parks. If you are still using a stroller, a stroller cover is a must too. We actually forgot ours last year and were able to get same-day delivery from Amazon to our hotel. I’m personally a fan of a good rain coat, but I have bought cheaper ponchos in a pinch. Coleman has a decent kid’s raincoat that folds as small as a poncho. Staying out in the rain in one of my top Ten Tips for Disney World with Toddlers because of all the extra ride time you can get in while everyone else runs for their room!

Sun

We load up on sunscreen almost any season at Walt Disney World. My favorite sunscreen for the kids and me is the Babygancis Mineral-based sunscreen. Especially during the summer months, you sweat A LOT. The reason I love this sunscreen is because it truly doesn’t burn if it gets in your eyes. My kids even agree….which is a HUGE deal! Another popular addition to your bag is a chilly towel.

Plan for Accidents

For those without children around potty-trained age, you can skip this one, but from one mom to another, this is the tip I wish I’d been told. Disney World is ridiculously exciting. Your 2-3 year old is not going to want to stop experiencing the rides and the characters and the fun. We had been potty trained for about 3-4 months when we made a visit. Despite all our hardwork, we had an accident in the park and finding underwear for a 2-3 year old is next to impossible. We found one place that sold it and it was size 5. Pants are easy to find, but the underwear….not so much. So pack one pair just to be safe. We spent an hour running from store-to-store with a sad little boy so learn from my mistakes.

Summary

Choosing the best bag to carry at Disney World and packing it with all your supplies can help make you enjoy your time in the parks a little bit more. I recommend two types of bags:

Personal Bag – Small crossbody bag or a fanny pack with a few personal items : Phone, Sunglasses, Wallet.

The recommended brands for these are a Dooney and Bourke nylon cross body and the Moment Makers polka dot fanny pack.

Backpack – Get a fun design and bring your snacks, sunscreen, rain protection, a water bottle, and a good external charger for all your electronics!

The recommended brands for your packpack are Vans or Jansport. Shipping snacks directly from Amazon is the way to go!